


All Things Soft and Beautiful and Bright

by emilime



Series: the fuckening (will name later lmao) [1]
Category: Cookie Run (Video Game), Cookie Wars (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Autistic Mint Choco Cookie (Cookie Run), Autistic Sparkling Cookie (Cookie Run), EVERYTHING GOES WRONG, Established Relationship, Game: Cookie Wars, Hurt/Comfort, I have had this on the backburner for over two years, M/M, Zombie Apocalypse, it's just less relevant than them being autistic, jelly walkers, like literally every fic I write assume every character is autistic unless stated otherwise, oh yeah and everyone's trans too, so many cookies for me to rub my grubby lil autistic hands all over, that's right gamers I'm finally putting serious work into this fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:15:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26097733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilime/pseuds/emilime
Summary: “When he died, all things soft and beautiful and bright would be buried with him.”Sparkling finds his quiet life turned upside down by something from beyond the stars.
Relationships: Mint Choco Cookie/Sparkling Cookie (Cookie Run)
Series: the fuckening (will name later lmao) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1894825
Comments: 6
Kudos: 7





	1. Prologue: The Incident Occurs

**Author's Note:**

> only vaguely beta'd so far and by meee  
> the characterization SHOULD be good this time (unlike a certain other fic from junior year)

It was a perfect day for a picnic, if Sparkling Cookie did say so himself. Which he did-- multiple times, in fact-- until Mint Choco caved, putting away his violin to pack a basket while his boyfriend folded the blanket.

"I suppose it is rather nice out today," he mused, glancing out the window before turning his attention back to the sandwiches he’d been tasked with making. He spread a fat glob of peanut butter evenly over a slice of bread, and sighed. "I'm afraid we can't stay out too long, though. I _do_ need to be prepared for my next concert."

The blanket already folded and packed, Sparkling crossed the cozy (read: small) living room to stand behind his boyfriend in their modest (read: small) kitchenette. "I know, darling, I know," he cooed, and wrapped his arms around Mint Choco's waist, settling his chin in the divot where neck met shoulder, "but you must admit it would be a shame to waste such a lovely afternoon." 

Mint Choco Cookie smiled and finished the last sandwich, bagging it neatly and placing it with the others. "It most certainly would be." He disentangled himself from his boyfriend's embrace, chuckling at the exaggerated pout he got in response. "I have to pack the sandwiches, dear. I can't do that from all the way over here." In a few short strides he had retrieved the wicker basket from where it sat and placed it on the kitchen counter before loading the sandwiches in one by one. Sparkling joined him in his efforts, and together they made short work of the rest of the packing, and headed out without further delay.

They'd all made a rather nice life for themselves since escaping the oven, with cookie settlements turning into cookie neighborhoods turning into cookie cities. The tract in which they lived was especially lush with plant life-- thanks in no small part to the work of one Herb Cookie-- and they took in the sights and scents of the day as they walked to their favorite grassy spot by the forest's edge. 

They had only just reached the knoll when Sparkling noticed something strange about the clear afternoon sky, namely that it was no longer so clear. "Darling," he began, tugging at his boyfriend's sleeve to get his attention before turning his focus back to the rapidly darkening sky, "do you see that… purple thing?" He gestured to the bright speck situated in the middle of the growing storm.

Mint Choco followed his gaze and found himself squinting, trying to make out what the strange shape was. "I'm definitely seeing it, but I don't understand it any more than you do." He used his free hand to shade his eyes.

"It's a bit oblong, isn't it?"

"In a teardrop sort of way, yes."

"Is it…” He paused. “...moving?"

"It, uh, would certainly seem so?"

"Do you think maybe we should mo--" A sudden, intense flash of purple and Sparkling was cut short, the accompanying shockwave knocking the air out of his lungs and sending them both tumbling backwards into the grass. If there was a bang, he couldn't hear it over the ringing in his ears. He felt a hand on his elbow and turned, finding Mint Choco sitting up beside him looking as deeply unsettled as he himself felt. He saw his boyfriend’s (wonderful, talented--) mouth set into motion, and tried desperately to lipread, but gleaned nothing from Mint Choco’s nigh-frantic speech, and quickly tapped his ear to convey his temporary deafness, assuming Mint Choco was in similar condition. The violinist nodded and placed a hand against his own chest in response, confirming the assumption. They sat like that for a moment, staring at each other for fear of looking at anything else quite yet, before finally steeling their nerves and facing the colorful carnage that had descended upon their once peaceful picnic.

“Wow, that sure is…” Sparkling trailed off, grimacing.

“...Gooey.” Mint Choco’s face twisted up in confusion.

“Is that… jelly?”

“Not any kind I’ve ever seen, that much is for certain.”

“Yeah, that’s… wow.”

“It’s really, uh… purple.”

Silence. Sparkling could hear the ringing in his ears growing fainter by the second.

“We should tell someone about this, right?”

“Oh, absolutely.”

Silence. The ringing had subsided completely.

“Well,” Sparkling pushed himself to his feet, extending a hand for his boyfriend to take, “no time like the present.”  
“Yes, that’s probably correct.” Mint Choco pulled himself up and made a face. Sparkling was not sure how to interpret it, but somehow he felt the same way.

* * *

The sound of snapping twigs and rustling leaves echoed through the now-wilting clearing surrounding the deeply, deeply sticky crater. A small head poked out of the underbrush, leaves sticking to butter-lump ears as purple eyes scanned the area, before fixating on the mess at the center of the clearing. “Jelly!” the child cried out.

Another head joined the first, its bright blue helmet standing out against the graying (and purpling) leaves. “Delicious. Finally, some good fucking food,” he joked, causing his friend to turn on him in horror.

“You said a bad word! I’m telling big bro!!”

“Yeah, and while you’re off snitching, I’m gonna hog all the weird forest jelly!”  
“Nuh-uh!! I want some too!!”

“Then you’ll just have to get there first!”

Small figures hurtled out of the brush and towards the meteor as two children revelled in the joys of youth, consequences be damned.


	2. Step 1: Define the Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five Steps of Problem Solving:  
> 1) Define the problem.  
> Sparkling and Mint Choco look for answers.
> 
> 'He just wanted to have a picnic. He just wanted to have a /fucking picnic/.'

The unassuming stucco facade that greeted them was betrayed only by the feeling of great importance that emanated from the stone tower that grew up and out, looming well over the two lovers hesitating before the great wooden door. Sparkling squared his shoulders and took the ring of the lion’s head door knocker in both hands, slamming it back against the oak with a resounding _thunk_. 

…

Silence on both ends. Sparkling exchanged a brief glance with his boyfriend before going to knock again. As soon as his hand moved to once more grasp the tarnishing brass, the door swung open to a shock of red hair and the overwhelming stink of old wine, cloying yet bitter. Vampire Cookie smiled mirthlessly. “We’re not interested in buying any magazines.”

Sparkling mirrored the face. “If you find anyone who is, let us know. Is Alchemist home?” Vampire sighed deeply and made an exaggerated gesture of welcome, grandly sweeping his arm towards the living room, and by extension, the staircase to his sister’s study.

“By all means, go right ahead; I am not my sister’s keeper. But I must warn you…” he dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, “she’s going nuts over the whole meteor thing. She hasn’t looked up from her star charts _once_ in the last hour.” He laughed dryly. “You’d have better luck talking to the door.” With that he sauntered across the room and up the staircase, leaving the two to cautiously follow. Sparkling took note of the cracking mortar, the small stretches of ivy where the prying tendrils had managed to find a way in from the outside, the faint scent of musty books that lingered in the air like a fog and increased in potency as they climbed… it didn’t help the weight that had been bearing down on him since they set out from the wrecked clearing, the feeling that something monumental had been set into motion and he was powerless to stop it, doomed to watch it unfold. He shook his head. Alchemist would have the answers. She had to.

They finally reached the arched doorway that led into the study, a fine purple curtain the only thing standing between them and, hopefully, their answers. Vampire rapped the back of his knuckles on the frame. “Hey nerdlet, you’ve got visitors.” He was obviously trying to sound nonchalant, but both Sparkling and Mint Choco could hear the affection and concern that lied beneath. 

There was a muffled rustling, and then-- “I’m _busy_!”

Vampire sighed. “It’s about the meteor.”

Silence, more rustling, and suddenly the curtain was yanked aside. Alchemist’s face was more determined than Sparkling had ever seen it, which was saying something. “ _What do you know._ ” It was spoken as a command more than a question, and Vampire wasted no time in herding the two increasingly nervous cookies through the doorway and into the cramped room, the diminutive researcher stepping aside without question to let them through.

Vampire hadn’t been lying when he told them about his sister’s condition: scattered papers covered the multiple desks and, not finding any more open surface area to claim there, made their way to the floor instead. Sparkling stooped down and picked one up, intending to place it back on a table, and stopped short when he found it covered in frantic scribbles. Alchemist must’ve noticed him staring at the parchment, because she snatched it out of his hand with a sound that was almost a hiss. “Don’t touch that!” She tossed it onto one of the surrounding tables without so much as a glance at it, and turned back to her main desk to begin poring over her star charts once more. Sparkling fidgeted nervously in the silence until he felt Mint Choco’s hand wind its way into his own, and he breathed a sigh of relief. The sound seemed to remind their host of their presence, and she called to them without looking up from her books. “So? What information do you have for me?” She aggressively flipped a few pages. “Don’t tell me you’ve come just to say that you’ve seen the meteor. I need more than that.”

Mint Choco cleared his throat, and Sparkling untensed a bit knowing that he didn’t have to do the talking for now. Minty probably knew as much, Crust bless him, because he ran his thumb soothingly over the back of Sparkling’s hand as he began his explanation. “We were in the forest when it fell. It made a…” he considered his words carefully, trying to convey the magnitude of the incident without seeming crass, “... _sizable_ mess.” Alchemist turned on them suddenly, her eyes wide.

“You were there for the impact?!” She crossed the room surprisingly quickly with her short legs, and before either could react she had both Mint Choco’s shoulders in her white-knuckled grip. Sparkling felt his beloved bristle in response, and it hurt his heart that he could do nothing to help. “Tell me everything. _Now._ ”

Fortunately, Vampire came to their aid, carefully prying his sister’s hands from the musician’s shoulders and corralling her back to her desk, knowing (or maybe hoping) that the star charts would occupy her once more. His actions were successful, and Alchemist went back to conducting her ranting interrogation from across the room. “What did the impact site look like? Did it leave a crater? What am I saying, of course it left a crater, that thing was no pebble. Were the surroundings affected? In any unexpected ways, of course. A little bit of burning and breaking is to be expected from a meteor. Any signs of foreign life?” Not a single question was followed by a pause. Sparkling was amazed she didn’t run out of breath.

“This may sound strange, but--” Mint Choco paused-- “it was covered in jelly.”

For the first time since they’d arrived, Alchemist stopped completely. “...Jelly?” She turned to face them again. “Like, the jelly that we eat?”

“Yes, but… different, somehow. It was…” Mint Choco fell silent briefly, his face strained. When he finally continued, he was quieter, more frightened than Sparkling had ever wanted to hear him. “Wrong. Something was seriously wrong.”

* * *

It was eerie walking back to the crater, being able to spot from a distance just how much the devastation had spread in an hour’s time: the thin lines of purple ooze winding their way up and around the thick tree trunks, the living leaves starting to take on the same hue as the jelly, the sheer amount of _stickiness_ that wasn’t there before but now permeated every bit of the area. 

“This is…” Even Alchemist seemed at a loss for words for the devastation they were facing. “Incredible.” Or maybe not. “And terrifying! Definitely terrifying. Deeply, _deeply_ terrifying!” She laughed once, manic. “But this is completely unprecedented! I’ve never seen anything like it! This could be the scientific breakthrough of the decade!” She plucked a small glass vial from somewhere inside her cloak and gingerly scooped up some of the jelly, quickly corking it and stowing it back away wherever it had come from. “Alright, let’s get this analyzed.” Sparkling knew he was more than ready to get far, far away from the meteor, and he had a feeling everyone else (excluding Alchemist, of course) felt the same way. In fact, he wanted _nothing_ more than to leave this whole thing behind, but he had a feeling that wasn’t going to happen any time soon. The whole thing was starting to get to him, actually, which was the worst part. It was as though his eyes were latching onto any bit of purple in his field of view, with every glimpse of the color leaving him on-guard and increasingly uneasy. He grabbed onto Mint Choco’s sleeve, and he wrapped his arm snugly around him in response.

They made it back to the tower, eventually. It felt like far too long to Sparkling. He was looking forward to the idea of having a nice sit down when he suddenly heard a horrified gasp from in front of him and without thinking took several quick steps away from the sound. He didn’t miss the look in his boyfriend’s eyes at that. A flash of raw, almost visceral emotion in his so-often closely guarded features: fear. Completely and utterly _helpless_ fear. Sparkling froze, locking eyes with him in the split second before Alchemist loudly spat, “What is _he_ doing here?!” swinging her arm overhead to dramatically point at the accursed intruder.

Wizard Cookie sighed.

The group managed to get into the house and up the stairs to the study peacefully enough, with Vampire’s help; he was unreasonably good at shepherding cookies, which actually made more sense the longer Sparkling thought about it, him having Alchemist for a little sister and all. Once in the study, she slammed a fist against the nearest table and whipped her head around to glare at Wizard. “What in the _frosted hell_ do you want?”

(“Isn’t he like, ten?” Sparkling whispered to Mint Choco, who had to suppress a snort.)

“I don’t like being here any more than you do, _Alchemist_.” Wizard squinted from beneath their bangs. (But above their scarf. As far as Sparkling could tell, Wizard was roughly 30% bangs and 60% scarf.) “However, sometimes things must be done for the greater good. I’m not surprised you don’t understand.” He smirked. Somehow. Alchemist picked up the nearest empty bottle, presumably to throw, but Vampire managed to snatch it from her in time and held it high above her head.

“No violence. He’s baby.” Having no other choice, Alchemist groaned and crossed her arms, and Vampire tossed the bottle out the window. He continued before she had time to react, “We need all the help we can get. That stuff is seriously freaky.”

“Fine, I guess you have a point,” Alchemist sighed, but suddenly tensed. “Wait. Does that mean you also called… _her_?” Her face wasn’t disgusted like it had been at the thought of Wizard, but more disturbed, if Sparkling had to put a word to it. (Also, he loved a dramatic reveal as much as the next cookie, but he didn’t think his heart could take much more of this cryptic bullshit.)

Wizard’s face also twisted, which was remarkable considering he was basically just a pair of eyes. “Aw man, really?” he whined, before suddenly realizing his mature act had slipped and recomposing himself. “I mean, is that entirely necessary?” His eyes darted back and forth a few times, as though checking if any of the adults caught his slip-up. Sparkling realized that was probably what he was doing, and had to fight a smile. Kids. Vampire gave a solemn nod.

“I called her. She said she should be here s--” The rest of his statement was drowned out by a very loud musical car horn. Sparkling could see Vampire’s soul slowly leave his body. Once the horn finally ended, Vampire took a deep breath before continuing, “I assume that’s h--” The car horn blared again. And again. And again. Vampire looked completely dead inside. “Let’s just go already,” he sighed, defeated.

* * *

“So nice of you all to finally join me in some FUN science!” Dr. Wasabi Cookie clapped her hands together excitedly, eliciting a heavy sigh from her granddaughter. It was cramped in the shack that served as the entrance to the doctor’s lab, especially since Mustard was taking up all the spots on the couch, leisurely stretched across the whole length of it.

The young artist slipped off one side of her headphones to address the group. “Sorry that grandma’s like this, but like. I can’t do anything about it,” she sighed again, and blew on her bangs to move them slightly out of her eyes. Not all the way, just a little.

“You could let us sit on the couch,” Wizard muttered.

She smirked. “No can do.” She slipped her headphones back on.

Sparkling took in the details of the dimly lit room, doing his best to ground himself after the nerve wracking ride the doctor had given them. (He didn’t know why she had that deathtrap of a dune buggy, and he didn’t want to know.) A single lamp hung from the center of the ceiling, just a bulb and a conical shade. In the center of the lamp’s light stood a squat coffee table, with what looked like a large glass fish tank sitting on top of it, remarkably empty. Sparkling decided to not think too hard about it. He could ask questions later. The couch Mustard was single-handedly occupying was an olive drab, and made of what was most likely corduroy. Good, this was good. He was starting to feel a little bit better already.

“Hup!!” the doctor shouted, slam dunking her octopus into the empty fish tank and spiking Sparkling’s heart rate. He just wanted to have a picnic. He just wanted to have a _fucking picnic_. “Alright, give me the goods!” She held her hand out expectantly to Alchemist, who begrudgingly placed the vial of jelly in her open palm. The doctor eyed it with unfettered curiosity, turning it this way and that to watch the light refract through it. “So this is what’s causing all the trouble, eh? All this fuss for a little jelly? Ha! Let’s see what it can do!” She flicked the cork out casually-- a practiced action, one she’d probably done a million times before-- and dropped the whole vial into the tank. The entire group was taken aback, with Alchemist even starting to threaten Wasabi, before they all stopped dead in their tracks, eyes locked on the tank. The octopus was eating the jelly. 

…

No change.

“Well, guess it’s nothing to w--” The sound of choking, echoed by the walls of the tank, cut her short. The cookies could only watch as the octopus choked weakly, briefly thrashed its tentacles, and fell limp. Even the doctor seemed a little shaken. Its small green form lied there a while, doing nothing but serving as a point of focus for half a dozen cookies who were all unwilling to break the silent tension. 

Sparkling was about to speak up and change the subject when it started to convulse.

“Oo-hoo! Now THIS is exciting!” The doctor scurried into a back room and came back with a large square of glass with clamps haphazardly attached to the edges. “Fortunately, I have just the thing!” She positioned the pane over the opening of the tank, fastening the clamps to the top of the walls, and stood back proudly. “Ta-da!” The octo began to thrash in what was probably the most unsettling way possible, moving more like a corpse strung up as a marionette than a living creature. Sparkling paused. _Was_ it living anymore? The thought deeply unsettled him, and he inconspicuously took a few steps back. Mint Choco sidled up to him and linked one of his arms with his own, squeezing gently. Sparkling gladly accepted the comfort as the octo began to slam its tentacles against the walls of the tank. It moved slowly at first, but as its efforts yielded no result it began to fly into a rage, throwing itself against the bounds of its glass prison as hard as it could. With the commotion now louder than Mustard’s music, she took off her headphones and turned to ask what was happening, before noticing the rapidly purpling octopus and jumping into a ready stance with a yelp. She stared at it in horror, mouth agape, before turning on her grandmother.

“What the fuck is happening to it?! What did you _do_?!”

“I don’t know! Ha ha!”

Sparkling turned and found Vampire already ushering Wizard and his sister out the door. “Nope, fuck this.” Sparkling glanced back at the former octo, and decided that was probably the best course of action. He and his boyfriend hurried outside, arms still linked, with the doctor and her ward close behind. With everyone safely out, Sparkling glanced back inside, and saw the glass start to crack. He slammed the door shut.

“Well, that was terrifying.” Alchemist dusted her hands off on her cloak and grimaced. “Educational, yes, insightful, certainly, but _fucking terrifying._ ” She sighed. “So, what’s next?”

Wizard, only slightly shaking, cleared his throat. Once all eyes were on him, he began, “I believe I have an idea.” 

* * *

Vampire groaned as he, Sparkling, and Mint Choco cautiously surveyed the streets. Well, Sparkling and Mint Choco were being cautious; Vampire was too busy complaining to care if anything caught them. “I can’t believe I got relegated to scout duty. We shouldn’t have even split up in the first place. That’s the first wrong step in a horror movie scenario, you know.” He pointed at them emphatically. “That’s how the killer always gets them.”

Sparkling, calmed by the open streets and fresh air, was a bit more willing to participate in this kind of conversation now. “That’s just because it’s a trope now.” He kicked a stone and watched it bounce along the sidewalk. “If the group stuck together, the killer could just get them to a choke point and pick them all off there.” Vampire hummed in thought. 

“The group could rush the killer, if the choke point’s wide enough to fit them all,” Mint Choco proposed.

“Not just a world class musician, but a strategist too!” Sparkling chuckled and leaned in to press a kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek. Mint Choco smiled softly and wrapped an arm around his waist. He wasn’t holding him as tight now, and it actually comforted Sparkling, in a roundabout way; he was still thinking about the look he’d seen in his beloved’s eyes when he saw how jumpy he was earlier, those beautiful eyes clouded with fear and sadness. Not pity, _never_ pity, but concern, _deep_ concern, for _him_ , for Sparkling, of all cookies. _He_ was the one chosen by this beautiful man to be the nearest and dearest to his heart. He decided he never wanted to see that look in those eyes again, for as long as he could be around to prevent it. “Hey,” he murmured, low enough to go unnoticed by Vampire.

“Yeah?” Mint Choco responded just as softly, and even this far into their relationship, Sparkling couldn’t help but smile at the intimacy of hearing that beautiful voice in such hushed tones.

“I love you.”

Mint Choco turned his head to face him, bringing his free hand up to caress his cheek, running his thumb gently over the soft skin, and kissed him tenderly on the lips. He pulled away, leaving their foreheads touching, and gave him a dreamy smile. Sparkling drank in the sight, the crinkles at the corners of his half-lidded eyes, the full-mouthed grin-- with a glimpse of pearly white teeth, even-- as opposed to his usual quirk-of-the-lips smile. This was something only for him, from _his_ Minty, and he could almost cry just thinking about it.

“I love you too,” he whispered, and kissed him again.

“Would you two gentlemen please stop being gay for a moment and, uh, come take a look at this?” Sparkling would have normally been irritated at something like that being shouted at him on the street, but these were extenuating circumstances and Vampire sounded genuinely shaken, so after a shared nervous glance with Mint Choco, the two headed after the sound of his voice. They reached the end of the block and saw what exactly had Vampire so affected: there, in the middle of the intersection, an all too familiar bulldozer lay on its side, with a smear of all too familiar jelly down the front.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will hurt you all by the time this is over but until then you WILL watch these two be in love and you WILL feel their pain when it comes. because it WILL come.  
> I have proofread so little of this. I do not care anymore. the vibes speak for themselves  
> listen to pulaski by andrew bird if you haven't already. the version off the 2016 deluxe album not the original. i listened to that many times writing this and I felt it every time  
> oh oh and thanks to my friend penn for helping me work thru some weird lines   
> and ofc thank you all for reading!! it means a lot to me!!  
> my tumblr is softwaluigi if you wanna hold me accountable for my gay crimes


End file.
